(Belated) Broken Birthday Celebration
by LadyShadow26
Summary: Sometimes gifts come in the strangest forms. A broken yet bonded family can be one of them. A one shot about Kaitos 18th birthday. Happy late birthday Kaito!


_**~Hello Everybody and welcome to "A Broken Birthday Celebration"  
**_

 _ **I know it's a day late. I apologize. I had to work all of yesterday sadly and thus didn't get to writing this until last minute. My beta just returned from vacation and has been gracious enough to help me finish editing here. Thanks as always Mist-chan!**_

 _ **The concept for this piece came completely off the top of my head. No real inspiration here other than the idea of Kaito getting to spend his birthday with his "family". Hope you all enjoy.**_

 _ **Magic Kaito and its characters belong to Gosho Aoyama. Please support his works!~**_

Kaito came home after a particularly normal day at school with a bright smile on his face. Well, about as normal as a day could be for one Kuroba Kaito, magician extraordinaire, and prince of all pranksters. Though, he had actually gone pretty light on his usual antics today, all things considered. Truth be told, it was actually a special day for him. The occasion? It was officially his eighteenth birthday. 

He had taken notice of how Aoko had been rather lenient on him today, supposedly as part of her "gift" for him. Though she swore to him if he didn't behave, he wouldn't receive his "real present" later. Not that he was particularly expecting much from her. She had basically given him the same gift for the past few years, in the form of some decently crafted homemade magic kit items. Truth be told, really didn't mind all that much, though. Anything from her was a worthwhile gift. Even if in the end, he would never fully admit that to her. At least, not yet. 

She had threatened recently to get him a f-finny thing for his birthday as a gag, but he had laughed it off at the time. He knew better than to believe she would actually do something like that...right? He shuddered at the thought. He still couldn't believe his traitorous mother had revealed his greatest weakness to Aoko like that. It certainly made life interesting for him. However, if most anyone else were to ever find out the full truth...Kaito shivered again. Yeah, he needed to stop thinking about such nightmarish things.

Speaking of his mother, though... Kaito gazed at the pair of female shoes at the opening to his home. Well, this was an unexpected surprise. Seemed his mother had come home from one of her crazy world tours to visit him on his birthday, of all days. Much as he hated to admit it, he would much rather have her here with him to celebrate, as opposed to half way across the world, talking through a computer screen. He grinned to himself as he called out to her. "Mom? I'm home!"

"In the kitchen, Kai!" His mother's voice called back to him. The waft of something sweet came streaming out of the kitchen as Kaito rushed inside. Seemed his mom had something rather tasty looking baking in the oven at the moment.

Kaito's grin increased tenfold as he noticed what his mother was baking. His mouth salivated, as he licked his lips, taking in the tempting look of the delicious cake in his mother's cook-book. If he had to be completely honest, while he admired Aoko's cooking skills, nothing quite compared to his mother's delicious baked recipes. She had gathered quite a few over the years from her trips abroad. For every bit his father had been a magician on stage, his mother was most definitely magic in the kitchen. If she hadn't chosen the life she had, he had no doubt she would be world famous by now in her own right.

Chikage chuckled, standing with her hands on her hips. "Well, hello to you too, Kai-chan." She shook her head as she watched her son stare at the unfinished confection in the oven. "I seem to recall it was someone's birthday today. Hmm, I wonder who that could be?" She lifted a hand to her chin, keeping a straight face despite her own amusement.

Kaito would have rolled his eyes at the statement had he not been fully focused on the delicious treat in front of him. Instead, he replied with a simple "Mmm." This was turning out to be one great day. For every bit his mother knew of his fear of those disgusting wet creatures, she knew of his other weakness as well. The only reason he had such an insatiable sweet tooth was because of his mother's irresistible treats.

Chikage laughed, and came over to give her son a light hug. Her flour covered apron brushed against his school uniform, leaving small white marks against the navy blue. "I've missed you, Kaito."

Kaito refocused his attention, as his mother's sweet fruity perfume overwhelmed his nostrils, blocking out the scent of the half-finished cake. It had been a long time since he had seen his mother in person like this, and it actually felt kind of good to be in her arms again, near adult or no.

"I missed you too, mom," he said truthfully, though he hid a bit of the emotion in his voice, as he kept his poker face in place, hugging her back.

For all appearances, they would look like most any other family at that moment. Two people connected by the closest bonds of blood. Still, there was a sadness that lingered there too. An empty void left by a missing presence that, even in this moment, could not be denied. Mere days after yet another Father's Day had passed, uncelebrated.

The two hid the feeling well, behind two well trained face's, as they broke apart from one another and returned to silence. Chikage was the first to speak as she turned back to what she had been doing. "So, how was your day? Did you do anything particularly fun today?" Chikage knew all too well about her son's antics at school, be it through his own indirect admittance, or that of Aoko's candid complaining.

Kaito shrugged, but grinned, pushing his momentary dark feelings to the back of his mind, glad for the distraction. "Oh, the usual. Boring classes, livened up by the occasional well needed surprise. Hakuba-san's sporting a new sparkly look today. Oh, and the streamers were certainly a nice touch to the interior decoration. Added a bit more color to the room." Kaito grinned widely. He knew his mother could easily read between the lines. Still, it didn't mean he had to be direct about anything, really.

Chikage raised an eyebrow at her son before sighing quietly to herself, though internally she was snickering. Honestly. Her son was just too much. She was glad to see he had relaxed somewhat though, and that things were still obviously pretty normal for him. Pranking was his sign of showing he was fine after all. "I see, and how's Aoko-chan doing? I haven't talked with her in a while." In truth, she had rarely heard from either Kaito or Aoko lately. There had been a heist night or two that she had honestly considered calling Aoko herself to check on her. She knew better than any what the girl was most likely going through, even as her son continued to lie to her.

Kaito blushed lightly, though he did his best hide it behind his poker face. "She's fine...we uh...went on another date recently. I mean, if you call cruising around the city on a motorcycle a date, that is." he cringed inwardly a bit at the memory. He never wanted to repeat that experience again. He could still feel the pain in his abdomen. That had been far too close for comfort.

Chikage raised another eyebrow at this as she went to work, prepping some of the ingredients she was going to use for the dinner that night. So her son had gotten a bit more bold with his feelings towards Aoko? How very interesting, indeed. Oh thats right, she hadn't mentioned to Kaito that she had invited the Nakamori's over for dinner tonight. They should be getting here any second now. It wouldn't take much longer to finish cooking, after all.

Might as well get some teasing in first. "Oh? This is news to me...so you and Aoko-chan are a serious thing now, huh? Well, you are eighteen now, you know if you're ever looking for a great place to get together, Vegas has some lovely venues..." she turned to her son, smirking widely at him.

It took everything Kaito had not to break at that last comment. Just what was his mother trying to imply? "Mom! We haven't even graduated yet! Besides, you know very well why I couldn't just elope with her!" he stared at his mother's blank face incredulously.

"Who said anything about elopement?" Chikage stated evenly, enjoying the shocked expression on her son's face. Despite his best efforts, she knew just how to get past that poker face of his. She had often used a similar technique with Toichi back in the day.

"What's this about elopement?" A sudden gruff voice cut in as both Kaito and Chikage whirred around to face the newcomer. Kaito nearly blanched as he recognized the elder Nakamori.

Chikage was the first to recover, giving a bright, genuine smile and trotting over to Nakamori, giving him the traditional greeting. "Ah, Ginzo-san, I didn't hear you come in. Kaito and I were just chatting about your lovely daughter and he going to Vegas and eloping!" Chikage grinned as she watched what remained of her son's poker face shatter.

"Kasan!" Kaito said indignantly. Seriously, why did he put up with her? 

Luckily, the inspector didn't seem to take Chikage's words too seriously, though Kaito could have sworn he heard him mutter "Over my dead body," under his breath.

Ginzo huffed into his moustache and shook his head. "Excuse the interruption, Chikage-san. I was wondering if you wanted any help with the cooking?" He glanced at the kitchen, noticing the strewn ingredients of what was Kaito's favorite meal sitting half prepped already.

Chikage continued to grin, and nodded lightly. "That's very kind of you, Ginzo-san. Kaito-kun, why don't you go see what Aoko-chan is up to? The cake won't get done any faster with you being in here, you know." She winked at him.

Kaito was about to protest, but decided it would be best to listen to his mother in this case. Nodding, he walked out of the room to go and find out what Aoko was up to.

He quickly found her setting up streamers in the living room that looked mysteriously like the ones he had used at school.

"Need some help?" he asked.

He grinned as he heard an "Eep" come from her lips as she glanced down from her vantage point on a chair. "BaKaito! You shouldn't sneak up on me like that!" she frowned down at him.

Kaito continued to grin, and chuckled. "So I can't creep around my own house now? How cruel, Ahouko."

Aoko stuck her tongue out at him as he returned the gesture in kind. Despite the fact Kaito was now eighteen, Aoko couldn't believe how immature he acted sometimes. It really drove her mad. "Ugh! You know what I mean JerKaito! It's not nice to sneak up on people from behind, no matter where you are at!" She glared at him, though it was a soft glare.

Kaito shook his head grinning mischievously. "Whatever you say, Ahouko. Now, are you going to answer my question or not?" he stared up at her, briefly his eyes trailed to her outfit, one he hadn't seen her wear before. It was a lovely white dress with blue flower patterns spread across the center. It complimented the pretty blue rose necklace she wore around her neck, which he had given to her for christmas last year. Did she wear it specifically for his birthday? That was...sweet. Unnecessary, but sweet.

Aoko lifted a streamer above her head. "Give me a minute! I'm almost done!" She said as she reached to try and hang the final streamer from the corner of a nearby bookshelf. She was so focused on getting it in place, she didn't feel the chair teetering beneath her. Moments later, she cried out as she lost her balance and began to fall backwards. There was a loud thud and a crash, however, instead of the hard ground she found herself resting against something soft and muscular...?

Blinking she looked at her savior, taking a moment to acknowledge the familiar, shocked figure holding her. Somehow, Kaito had managed to cushion her fall with his body, and she was now sitting cross legged on top of him. She couldn't hide the immense blush that crossed her face as she stared down at him.

Kaito stared blankly up at Aoko. As usual, his body had reacted on instinct. He had immediately jumped in to save her from falling, only to find himself suddenly knocked backwards by her weight. He was now laying in a truly awkward position beneath her, unable to move due to temporary numbness of his limbs from the fall. He had to hide his own blush as he realized just what this looked like.

To make the situation worse, he noticed out of the corner of his eye as his mother entered the room and withdrew her cell phone, taking a few quick pics before making her presence known.

"Well, I see you kids are having fun." She stated with a straight face, though Kaito could tell she was inwardly cackling at the moment.

Aoko's blush only grew as she awkwardly got up, her legs shaking as she did so. "I...I'm sorry." was all she said as she gazed down at Kaito, before glancing back at Chikage. She bowed lightly, her blush still lingering. "This is all my fault..."

Kaito sighed and waved her off, slowly moving himself to a sitting position. Ouch. Yeah, that was definitely going to leave a few bruises. Crazy Aoko. What was she thinking, pulling off a stunt like that? Not that he had room to talk, but still, he was sure his mom was never going to let him live this one down. He sighed. Might as well make the most of it. "Don't let her give you the wrong idea, mom. This clumsy girl here," he said, making a motion at Aoko "was just in the middle of putting up some decorations when she decided it would be a good idea to take a tumble."

Aoko turned back to face Kaito, her expression now a mixture of embarrassment and just a bit of anger. "BaKaito! If you hadn't distracted me, I probably wouldn't have fallen like that! I was doing just fine on my own...and who are you calling clumsy?!" She glared at him. Honestly, after she had just been thinking such nice thoughts about him too.

Kaito flinched a bit as Aoko took a swipe at him, his sides still aching from the fall. Still, he had gotten the reaction he had wanted from her. He chuckled, smirking at her. "Who else, Aoko? Last I checked, I don't go falling off of chairs onto unsuspecting people. You know, you really could stand to lose a few pounds. You're rather heavy!"

Aoko's feelings of embarrassment were instantly forgotten as her thoughts suddenly turned to rage at Kaito's words. Just what was that supposed to mean? "Just what are you implying, JerKaito?! You take that back!" She took a few swings at Kaito with her bare hands, only for him to move surprisingly fast, dodging each of the swings as if he had experienced no pain at all. Ugh! He was so aggravating! Just when she was almost feeling sorry for him. Stupid Kaito.

With that, the two of them fell into their normal banter patterns. Chikage just smiled knowingly, leaving the two of them to argue for a few minutes. In truth, she was truly grateful for Aoko's presence in Kaito's life. She could see, hidden in his expression, just how much she meant to him. In a way, she was almost jealous of Aoko, as she had been the one to truly brighten her Kai-kun's world after Toichi's unfortunate passing. Aoko had done more for Kaito than she ever could, and in a way it hurt. Especially as, ever since finding out the truth about his father, Kaito had begun to push people away again.

Chikage frowned slightly as she watched the two teenagers chase each other around the room, Aoko having picked up a broom from somewhere or other. She really wished her son would just be honest with Aoko. She, more than any, knew why he couldn't tell her about his night time occupation, but at the same time, she wished he would be at least a bit more open about his feelings for her. It was obvious he had come pretty close in recent days, but had stopped before actually getting anywhere. There was an indisputable distance between them, even now.

Chikage shook her head. Her son had grown quite a bit over the past couple of years. Even as he acted immaturely in front of his friends, she knew the burden he carried was far more than any normal person should bare. If only his father could see him now...he really was like him in so many ways.

"I was wondering what all the commotion was about." A voice broke Chikage from her thoughts, and she turned to see Ginzo standing in the doorway. He smiled a gruff smile, watching the two continue their fight, Kaito now having the high ground. "They're at it again, huh?" He sighed lightly, shaking his head. "I swear. These two are going to be the death of me. "

Chikage chuckled, smiling softly at her old friend's words. Her melancholy feelings faded a bit as she glanced between the Inspector and the two teenagers. "Oh? And here I thought that honor was reserved for another?" She didn't need to say who. The inspector would most likely catch the hint. She could almost appreciate the irony. Her son certainly knew how to drive up poor Ginzo's blood pressure levels.

Ginzo grunted, letting out a huff. "I'll admit sometimes I wonder which drives me more insane. You know, there was even a time I suspected them of being the same person...though Aoko proved me wrong on that front." He shook his head.

Chikage raised an eyebrow at this. This was news to her. Had her son done something to make Ginzo suspicious at some point? She would have to ask Kaito about it covertly later. She chuckled once again, hiding her misgivings. Time to change the subject.. "Interesting. Well, don't you think it's about time we step in? I mean, dinner is ready after all. I would hate to see all that lovely work go to waste."

Ginzo snorted, but nodded. "I usually just let them work things out. Still, you're probably right.." clearing his throat, he called out to the two who, at this point, had pretty much destroyed all of Aoko's earlier work. "Aoko. Kaito. Come on you two, dinner's ready. Unless, of course, you want me to eat it all?"

Aoko and Kaito instantly stopped fighting, just as Aoko got a good crack at Kaito's shoulder with the broom, that he blocked. "Oh? It's done already? Awesome!" Kaito stated, excitedly moving past the two adults towards the dining area. He was thrilled, as his mom had gone so far as to make his favorite meal, with, of course, those _things_ being left completely out.

Aoko followed silently behind him, still pouting lightly. Though, she bowed politely at both Chikage and her father as she passed them. They followed behind her, both holding a certain degree of humor in their otherwise serious expressions, as they all gathered around the table to eat.

The meal went by mostly in quiet, as the four discussed various subjects including: Chikage's world travels as well as Kaito and Aoko's preparations for the end of the school term coming up at the end of the next month. Kaito and Aoko remained surprisingly civil throughout.

After the meal, they enjoyed the delicious dessert Chikage had prepared for Kaito's birthday. Kaito, of course, had the largest piece, wolfing it down with little regard to those around him. Just because he was eighteen now didn't mean he had to act completely mature. No one seemed to complain either, probably having chosen to ignore it at this point.

It was strange, for all intensive purposes, the four of them looked like just your average family. Though, a bit of a broken one at that. Each of them hid their own feelings well behind their own masks though, only Kaito and Chikage were truly adept at it. The rest of the night passed by without much incident.

Kaito received one special gift that day, which he couldn't be any more grateful for. The time and memories he spent with this "normal" family of his left him with a mixed feeling of happiness and emptiness at the same time. It was such a rare thing for him, especially now, that he couldn't help but cherish it...at least a little bit. He felt like that's what his father would have wanted, anyway.

The moonlight reflected emptily in the night as he stared senselessly at the portrait of his father. Yes. This was about as normal as his life could get right now. As normal as the life of one Kuroba Kaito, son of Kuroba Toichi, magician extraordinaire and the original Kaitou KID, could be. There was a certain bitterness to it all, but also a sense of extreme pride. With that thought, he went to bed, drawing his slightly eventful eighteenth birthday to a close.

 _ **~Post Note~  
Okay note going to lie that ending was totally anticlimactic...well this is supposed to be a stand alone one shot so that may be why. Still... I know I probably could have done better. Ah well *shrugs* I hope you all enjoyed my little mixed piece here. As I said I have no idea where this came from. I just wanted to write something kind of sweet/humorous for Kai's birthday. It turned into a sort of slice of life piece.**_

 _ **Well leave me your thoughts if you feel so inclined. I appreciate constructive criticism :) Until next story!**_


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